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Smartphone Industry Has Lots of Room for Growth This Year

It may seem like everyone today already uses a smartphone to text, email, Facebook and Tweet, but a report by comScore indicates some surprising findings. The report detailed the U.S. mobile phone market for the first three months of 2010 among users aged 13 and up. As far as what Americans are using their phones for, the study found that 63% of users sent text messages while only 30% used a web browser. 28% of users downloaded mobile apps, and 18% assessed social networking sites or blogs on their phone. This offers a general overview of approximately what percentage of U.S. mobile phone users hold smartphones.

The smartphone market is definitely on the rise. According to a study by IDC, 54.7 million smartphones were sold in the first quarter of 2010, accounting for one in five of phones sold. The majority of Americans still do not have smartphones, making them potential customers in the coming months. As mobile devices become more and more sophisticated, companies predict that users will continually to turn to smartphones to access the web and engage in social media for communications.

The growth of the Apple iPhone and Google Android mobile devices is eminent. Apple announced its first quarter 2010 market share is now at 16%, selling a record 8.75 million phones from January to March. “Apple more than doubled its shipments from a year ago, with more iPhones arriving outside its home territory of North America,” said a report by IDC. Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the fourth generation iPhone is expected to arrive this summer, enabling multi-tasking, folders, enhanced email and iBooks for consumers.

2010 looks to be a big year for large-scale consumer adoption of smartphones. IDC says, “Consumers will gravitate to them not just because the devices themselves look ‘cool’ and ‘slick’, but because the overall experience aligns with their individual tastes and demands. Users are seeking — and finding — experiences that are intuitive, seamless, and fun.”